Smashed at the Weekend #10

Dining, cooking and drinking and not a Valentine in sight

Something to eat: The Grill by Tom Booton

Clockwise from top left: pork cheek, lentils, celeriac, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms; poached cod & clam chowder, leeks; milk roll; salted butter; apple crumble soft serve and apple pie.

I had been planning to return to the Dorchester Grill ever since Tom Booton was appointed head chef at the tender age of just 26 in 2019. A new version of the restaurant's set lunch menu, details of which were posted by Booton on his Instagram account in January was all the excuse I needed to book.

The last time I ate at The Grill at The Dorchester, nearly 20 years ago, Aiden Byrne (now at Li-Ly in Knutsford) was behind the stoves spherifying everything in sight and the restaurant was bizarrely kitted out to look like the dining hall of a Scottish castle. Thankfully, the interior has been overhauled and is pleasant in a very five-star hotel sort of way with lots of zinc, copper and marble, oak floors and caramel leather seating. The lack of linen tablecloths is, I assume, a deliberate move to make the space feel more casual and ‘fun’ but it just looks underdressed, as though you’d arrived before they’d had time to set the tables properly.

The sterile luxury hotel atmosphere was accentuated by a distinct lack of customers; it was a Monday lunch in February so that was perhaps unsurprising. A fellow lone diner at a nearby table worked on a laptop throughout the service, making the place feel like a tarted-up Costa Coffee. He may have been a member of staff but if he was a guest and paying a minimum of £684 a night then I suppose he’d expect to be able to work on his laptop wherever the fuck he liked.

Happily the charming and efficient service and great food made up for the shortcomings in the ambience department. The price was also a salve, at just £45 for a set three-course lunch. The either/or choices at each stage were taken directly from the pricier a la carte, meaning that my choices of pork cheek, lentils, celeriac, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms followed by poached cod and clam chowder, leeks and apple crumble soft serve and apple pie would have cost £74 if it were not for the deal. Restaurant supervisor Matteo Antola told me that the portion sizes are exactly the same so there’s no downsizing to cut costs making it even more of a bargain.

I wasn’t overly keen on the crockery used for the pork cheek starter which put me in mind of my late dog Lulu’s food bowl, although it’s always nice to be reminded of the mad mutt (she was a pedigree German Shorthaired Pointer, so not a mutt, but she sure was mad). The dish was delicious and I devoured the tender and rich pork cheek, nicely offset by slivers of some very lively pickled celeriac with the same gusto dear old Lulu would attack her Oscar's dog food.

Actually, she’d attack any food left accessible to her with gusto. She once found a giant Toblerone hidden in my daughter's bedroom. It was meant to be a birthday present for me but she scoffed the lot, somehow leaving behind the box and all silver wrapper. She came to no harm whatsoever, even though chocolate is meant to be lethal to dogs.

Despite its a la carte origins, it was not exactly a huge starter. As there had been no canapes or amuse bouches I ordered the milk roll and salted butter (£9) to ensure I didn’t go hungry, God forbid. If I hadn’t recently had the Parker House roll with cultured butter at Furna in Brighton, or the mosbolletjies with home-cultured butter and wild seeds at the Michelin-starred Interlude near Horsham (surely one of the best bread courses in the country) I would have been very impressed with Booton’s effort. It was delicious despite the crumb being a little on the dry side. That didn’t prevent me from demolishing two-thirds of the loaf that was obviously meant to serve two. At least.

Mosbolletjies with home cultured butter and wild seeds at the Michelin starred Interlude; Parker House Roll with cultured butter, and cod's roe both at Furna, Brighton.

The cod was a thing of beauty with a very 90s sort of presentation. The bed of crushed new potatoes the fish was sitting on took me back to Leith’s Restaurant (on the site of what is now Core by Clare Smyth) when the brilliant Alex Floyd was heading up the kitchen. I spent a day there in 1997 after meeting him on the set of Masterchef (I was a contestant and he was a judge. He was impressed with my pastry-making skills) and one of the jobs I helped out with was making the crushed new potatoes that were mixed with diced shallot, tomato concasse, olives and basil (I think, it was long time ago. I still have my notebook from the day somewhere, maybe I’ll try and dig it out and post a comment. Don’t hold your breath).

Booton’s spuds were a more plain affair but none the worse for it. I liked the idea of adding a layer of mousse to the fish and wrapping it in leeks, but by doing so the kitchen had presented itself with the tricky task of getting both the flesh and the mousse cooked to perfection at the same time. The mousse was fine but the fish was a tiny bit over. It was nevertheless extremely enjoyable and the highlight of the short meal.

The upmarket take on a McDonald’s apple pie was a fun way to end and the apple crumble soft serve was great. It reminded me a little of Ben Murphy’s irreverent approach at Launceston Place (now sadly closed. It will be interesting to see what Murphy does next). Less fun was the £9 cup of Difference espresso served in a big cup, the large surface area allowing the thin film of liquid covering the cup's base to cool almost completely as it made its way across the dining room to my table.

A cup of barely warm Difference coffee, £9 plus service charge

Booton is unquestionably a talented chef and The Grill's set menu is a great way to try his food without breaking the bank. The wine list, wrangled by a full team of sommeliers, will add considerably to your bill but the selection of wines by the glass and carafe lessen the pain, especially at lunch when you might want to drink less. A Chenin Blanc Old Vines, Olifantsberg, Breedekloof, South Africa hit the spot for £38 for 375ml although the teeny-tiny glass they gave me to drink it out didn’t do it justice. I think I’ve seen them on Riedel's website - they’re from the Give This To Your Cheapskate Customers And Maybe They’ll Order Something Decent Next Time range.

I’d like to eat Booton's food again, but I’m not sure I want to eat it in that room. Maybe if they ban laptops and get some linen in I might change my mind.

Details
The Grill by Tom Booton, The Dorchester Hotel, 53 Park Lane, London W1K 1Q
020 7629 8888; dorchestercollection.com

Smashed paid the bill at The Grill by Tom Booton.

Something to cook: Recipes from Kapusta by Alissa Timoshinka

Polish Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms

These dumplings are arguably the first thing that comes to mind when people are asked to name a Polish dish. Indeed, these plump beauties are a staple in Poland and can be considered more of a culinary genre rather than a specific dish. Just take a look at the brilliant cookbook Pierogi by Zuza Zak to marvel at the sheer variety of shapes and names these dumplings are known by.

The more I delved into the history of this dish, the more I found myself falling down a rabbit hole into a magical world of dumplings that connects all Eastern European countries and branches out further into Italy, the Turkic world reaching all the way to China.

This recipe could have been easily called varenyky – the Ukrainian equivalent – or pirohy, as they are known in Slovakia, as they are similar in shape and have similar culinary status in the food culture of each country. Here, I also add an optional topping of crispy onions and bacon, known as skwarki, škvarky or shkvarky in Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine, respectively.

Serves 4

FOR THE DOUGH

300g (101/2oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

100ml (31/2fl oz) warm water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

FOR THE FILLING

vegetable oil, for frying

1 onion, thinly sliced

200g (7oz) chestnut mushrooms, diced

150g (51/2oz) Classic Sauerkraut (see page 184), or shop-bought, drained

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed

melted butter or sour cream

salt and black pepper, to taste

FOR THE TOPPING (OPTIONAL)

vegetable oil, for frying

20g (3/4oz) pancetta

1 onion, finely chopped

To make the dough, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the warm water and oil, then pour into the bowl of dry ingredients. Start by mixing with a fork, then gradually work the mixture with your hands to form a dough. Knead it for 2 minutes, cover with cling film (plastic wrap), and rest in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, with the lid on, until they have softened and released their liquid. Add the sauerkraut, bay leaf and fennel seeds, and continue to cook, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Letting the sauerkraut catch a little on the bottom of the pan only enhances the richness of the f lavours.) Take off the heat.

To make the pierogi, dust a clean surface with some flour and work the dough for a few minutes to wake it up. Next, roll it out into a large sheet of any shape, as thinly as you can. Using an upside-down mug or a pastry ring, cut out as many circles as you can, roughly 5–6cm (2–21/2in) in diameter. Knead the off-cuts into a ball and place under cling film.

Add a tablespoon of the filling in the middle of each disc and pinch the edges firmly to create a half-moon shape. Keep the finished dumplings under a damp tea towel, while you make the rest of the pierogi.

To cook the pierogi, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook in batches for 5 minutes, or until they float to the top. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and serve with melted butter or sour cream and lots of pepper.

If making the crispy pancetta and onion topping, fry the pancetta and onion in a frying pan with a pinch of salt for 20–30 minutes, or until deeply caramelised.

Hungarian Mushroom Paprikash Stew

An absolute classic of Hungarian cuisine, this dish, together with goulsash soup (gulyás leves) and pörkölt stew, are my top contenders for the ultimate comfort food in autumn and winter. While pörkölt is a rich stew of beef in a smoky tomato sauce, a paprikash stew is thickened with sour cream, richly spiced with smoked paprika and always served with a side of noodles, potatoes or galuska dumplings. Most commonly made with chicken, here is an equally popular vegetarian alternative using mushrooms. The flavour of paprika is essential to this dish, just as it is to so many dishes of the Hungarian repertoire. It is astonishing to think that paprika was only introduced to Hungary with the Ottoman occupation in the 16th century and not used in cooking until the 1800s.

Serves 4

vegetable oil, for frying
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red (bell) pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
800g (1lb 12oz) white button or chestnut (cremini) mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons smoked paprika or 11/2 tablespoons sweet paprika and ½ tablespoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
200g (7oz) sour cream or crème fraîche
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
salt and black pepper, to taste
cooked pasta, such as pappardelle, to serve

Heat up some vegetable oil in a casserole (Dutch oven) or heavybased lidded frying pan. Add the onion and red pepper with a pinch of salt and cook, covered, over a medium heat for 15 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms, with another pinch of salt, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their juices.

Lower the heat, add the paprika and marjoram, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sour cream and stir well to let the vegetable juices mix with the cream. Adjust the seasoning, adding some pepper. Simmer gently on the lowest heat, without boiling, for 2–3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the parsley and let rest for a little before serving with a side of pappardelle.

Carrot, Honey and Twarog Fritters

Cooking with sweet cottage cheese is one of the best traditions of Eastern European cuisine. These little sweet cottage cheese patties, known as syrniki, from the Slavic word syr for (cottage) cheese, make up the bulk of happy childhood memories for so many. I was always sure that this cooking idea was distinctly Eastern European in origin, but then, of course, there is no such thing as ‘authentic’ or ‘distinct’ when it comes to a phenomenon so intricate as cooking.

I think I actually said ‘No!’ out loud when I came across a passage, in Leah Koenig’s brilliant encyclopaedia of Jewish cooking, which explained that sweet cottage cheese fritters entered Eastern Europe via Italian Jews, whose cuisine had a staple of ricotta and honey fritters from the 15th century onwards.

I often substitute Eastern European twarog with ricotta when cooking syrniki in the UK, and previously thought it second best, but, as it turns out, it’s in fact the ancestral ingredient! It goes without saying that you can replace twarog with ricotta here.

Makes 10–12

50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
2−3 tablespoons honey, or to taste
200g (7oz) twarog (or ricotta)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
1 scant teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tablespoons raisins, pre-soaked in 20ml (1½ tablespoons) rum (optional)
grated zest of ½ lemon
vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
icing (powdered) sugar, for dusting
crème fraÎche, to serve

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat and add the carrots and honey. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes.

Mix the twarog, eggs, sugar, baking powder, salt, flour, raisins and lemon zest in a large bowl.

When the carrots are soft, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the carrots to the flour mixture, stirring to combine.

Heat enough oil for shallow-frying (about 4−6 tablespoons) in a large frying pan. Scoop two heaped tablespoons of the mixture directly into the hot oil and pat it down with the back of a spoon to form a fritter. There is no need to strive for perfection in shape, the more rustic they look, the better. Fry on each side on a medium high heat for 4 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and let rest on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Dust with a little icing sugar and serve with some crème fraîche.

Use the following affiliate link to buy the book and support Smashed

Kapusta by Alissa Timoshkina
£28, ‎Hardie Grant Books

Something to drink: Yazmine by Alasdair Shaw, Head of Drinks at Margo

This recipe comes from Margot, the recently opened Glasgow restaurant that’s part of the renowned Scottish group Scoop which also includes Ox and Finch and Ka Pao. Earlier this week, Margot was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand with the guide calling it ‘a bustling, efficiently run restaurant that’s deservedly popular thanks to its great buzz and flavour-packed, generously priced dishes . . . . sharing plates are a satisfying synthesis of Mediterranean cooking and Scottish produce, borne out in dishes like red prawn agnolotti and ham hough croquettes.’

Margot’s cocktail list includes signature frozen martinis, yoghurt punch and classic drinks given a twist with techniques such as fat-washing and carbonation.

Margot’s Head of Drinks Alasdair Shaw says Yazmine is ‘a riff on Paul Harrington’s cocktail ‘Jasmine’ and inspired by the classic ‘Pegu Club’, this version adds yuzu sake and yuzu juice for a floral, tart, and bitter end result. Experiment with seasonal citrus to your taste, or use a mixture of grapefruit and lemon juice in a pinch.’

Ingredients

• 25ml white rum (Shaw uses Ron de Santiago carta blanca)

• 20ml yuzu sake (such as Yuzushu)

• 5ml Campari

• 10ml yuzu juice

• 10ml lemon juice

• 50ml agave or simple syrup

Method

• Shake all of the ingredients over ice

• Strain, and serve with a grapefruit peel